His hand reached for hers inside the dark car. She'd almost forgotten how soft his touch could be. She decided it was okay for him to be doing this, and returned the pressure he was exerting. She wasn't sure if the tremor she felt was coming from him or herself. In the back of the unmarked four-by-four, behind the grate that was open in the cargo hold, the K-9 whined softly.

"It doesn't feel right," Tom Madsen whispered. He jerked his head in the direction of the K-9. "Gustav is picking up on it, too." He turned to check the dog's bulletproof vest one last time.

Agnes Jade, Aggie to her friends, nodded. "Are you thinking this is a setup?" she whispered.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking."

"Pippy," Aggie continued in a whisper, referring to her snitch, "has never steered us wrong before."

"There's a first time for everything. Pip goes for the bucks. It's not smelling right either."

"We're sitting in a dark alley, Tom. Derelicts urinate in alleys. There's rotting garbage everywhere, plus the sewer gas and a hundred other smells. Five more minutes and we're out of here. Agreed?" She could feel him nod.

Tom was saved from a reply when he felt the K-9's paw on his shoulder. Someone had just entered the alley on foot. Alone or with company? He didn't know.

Aggie heard it, too. "How many?" she whispered.

"It's too dark to see. I'm thinking three, maybe two." The K-9's paw pressed hard on Tom's shoulder. He was ready to go.

"Wait till they get past the car." They both knew the drill, so did the K-9.

Tom half turned and placed two fingers against Aggie's cheek.

"Easy, baby, easy," Aggie said softly but still loud enough for the K-9 to hear. Gun in hand, safety off, the automatic door opener in her other hand so Gustav could hit the ground running the second Tom gave the order to go. Tom was her eyes and in charge of the headlights. In the past they'd worked together like silk and satin. Right now it felt more like burlap and fine linen. She wasn't worried at all. They had a job to do, and they'd do it together, just the way they always did.

A chill ran up Tom Madsen's back as he leaped from the car, shouting, "Freeze! Police!" At the same moment, he fumbled blindly to turn on the high beams to illuminate the area, and still hold the car door in front of him as a shield.

It all happened just the way it was supposed to happen. The element of surprise, the headlights trapping the two dark figures in their glare. "Atlanta PD," Tom shouted. His voice carried down the long alleyway.

He felt the breeze Gustav kicked up on his cheek when he streaked past him.

Aggie inched the door open, doing a tuck and roll, and then slid under the four-by-four to scramble up behind her partner. "Hit the ground and put your hands on your head. I want to see you eating the dirt," Aggie shouted. Tom was right. Something was wrong. Her shoulders itched, but her grip on the weapon in her hand was steady. The light from the headlights was blinding. She'd been expecting normal headlights not the high beams. Tom's first mistake.

Gustav heard it before she did, and streaked out of the light into darkness. "Three o'clock, Tom. We got it," Aggie called out, meaning she and Gustav knew that the perps were only a quarter turn away and would act on it.

Tom whirled around and yanked at the two men's arms, so he could handcuff them. But before he could secure the cuffs, he scrabbled to get to the four-by-four so he could douse the blinding lights, while Aggie covered his six from behind him. The next minute was an eternity as automatic weapons' fire shattered the quiet night. His neck exploded in pain, then both his legs went out from under him. He heard Gustav yelp in pain just as Aggie screamed.

Again and again.

And there was nothing he could do.

Copyright © 2003 by First Draft, Inc.